Halfway through spring training, Astros still searching for some answers

LAKELAND, Fla. — Two weeks ago today, the Astros played their first Grapefruit League game – a 13-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Two weeks from today, they will play their last – a noon start against the Phillies in Clearwater.

In the interim, there has been and will be much to digest and, truthfully given the nature of spring training, much to toss out.

At the onset of the spring, we listed five key storylines to watch. Halfway through games and more like two-thirds of the way through spring training, let’s see where we are in the plot.

1. The first base situation

Brett Wallace’s to lose, he has done nothing to lose it and looks to emerge as the starting first baseman.

Both Astros general manager Ed Wade and manager Brad Mills, the primary decision-makers, have spoken highly of Wallace. He has shown little power so far and has hit .250 (8-for-32) but has been praised for the rest of his game and his low strikeout rate (four in 34 plate appearances).

The contingency plan was to play Carlos Lee at first base and platoon Jason Michaels and a lefty such as Brian Bogusevic in the outfield, but Lee hasn’t sniffed first base outside of limited drills. Wallace, meanwhile, has been with the starters for drills and now that the Astros have begun playing the regular infield together in games. This is the best indication that there’s no plan to go a different direction.

2. The final starter

It took just days for a six-man race to become a five-man affair race as Fernando Abad was relegated to a bullpen role. Four weeks later, it’s still a five-man race.

Wade said Sunday that all five – Nelson Figueroa, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Jordan Lyles, Aneury Rodriguez and Lance Pendleton – will be considered.

Lyles, the Astros’ top prospect, is probably a last choice. He has pitched well this spring, but most in the organization feel he could use more seasoning after compiling a 5.40 ERA in brief exposure to Class AAA last year.

The Rule 5 picks – Rodriguez and Pendleton – have impressed, and Rowland-Smith showed what Mills called his professionalism, surviving some outings with less than impeccable control.

Figueroa, the status quo as he finished the season as the No. 5 starter, has kept up what earned him a spot in the rotation. He has given up one run in five innings heading into today’s start.

Nobody is going to back into this spot, but this is no closer to being a firm decision than it was when the spring training roster was set.

3. A new voice for hitters

They say the hardest thing to evaluate in baseball is a manager’s influence. They’re wrong. It’s a hitting coach’s influence.

The Astros are hitting .272 in spring training, which tends to favor high averages, and are still not walking all that much – just 43 times in 19 games. But it’s impossible to evaluate Mike Barnett at this time.

The most interesting thing for the Astros might be having three hitting coaches in 10 months, with Barnett taking over for Jeff Bagwell, who stepped down at the end of last season after replacing the fired Sean Berry at the 2010 All-Star break.

“I think it’s important who you have now; what’s the message now,” Mills said.

If you’re grading this one, it’s an incomplete.

4. The trainer’s table

If you’re grading this one, it’s a D-minus.

Catcher Jason Castro is out for the season. In a year that could be all about seeing which pieces fit as parts of the next good Astros team, whenever that may be, this is a terrible development even if it has little impact on the 2011 record.

Other than that, it’s not terrible, unless Wandy Rodriguez’s mild tendinitis turns into more than that. Alberto Arias’ seemingly never-ending shoulder saga is unfortunate, but there are plenty of righthanded arms in the bullpen. Lee and Michaels have been achy, and there’s a bug going around, but not much else devastating.

5. Avoiding spring lethargy

The point of including this as No. 5 was in seeing multiple Astros, including Rodriguez and Bud Norris, carry over struggles from spring training to the regular season.

Rodriguez has been fine but is hurt, and Norris has allowed eight runs in seven innings, including five runs in three innings Sunday.